


Thief in the Night

by MadAlien



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Cohabitation, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Post-Canon, sleepy alex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:00:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22259860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadAlien/pseuds/MadAlien
Summary: A bump in the night wakes Alex.
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor
Comments: 26
Kudos: 435





	Thief in the Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BiblioPan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BiblioPan/gifts), [NeelyO](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeelyO/gifts).



> So many thanks to BiblioPan and NeelyO who encouraged me to write this, offer me an impossible amount of support and validation, and just generally make my life happier & more fun.

There was quite possibly a burglar downstairs.

Much to his annoyance, Alex was roused from sleep by the sound of general banging around in the entryway even though it was—he checked his phone quickly—1:13 in the goddamn morning, and he had actually managed to fall asleep early for once in his goddamn life, and now the goddamn burglar had ruined everything. If they were going to be robbed, couldn’t it at least be by a burglar who knew what he was doing and didn’t bang into every solid surface in the brownstone, therefore allowing Alex to sleep through the experience? 

Alex was not and had never been what you might call talented at sleeping. He suspected that his nearly lifelong history of pushing back his bedtime another hour and then another (and another) in favor of intense—some might say obsessive—study had permanently altered his Circadian rhythms and generally destroyed his ability to be unconscious before three in the morning without the aid of alcohol or other outside influences. June had informed him many times that that was simply not how such things worked, but Alex maintained his stance.

And then something—a higher power, fate, the universe, a very large cake, call it what you want—had added Henry into the mix, and Alex’s sleep patterns were thrown off even more. For nearly a year, middle of the night conversations that lasted until the first tentative rays of morning light began to creep into the sky were the norm, and Alex had all but given up on ever sleeping on a regular schedule.

Fast forward to now, with Henry and Alex leading a disgustingly domestic existence in their cozy brownstone, cooking together and snuggling on the couch and having June, Nora, Pez, and Bea over for highly competitive game nights, both of them finally living the life they’d always wanted but had never imagined could be a reality. Henry and Alex both slept better now that they shared a bed every night—apparently love and a cuddly bed partner and regular, fantastic sex that leaves you boneless and exhausted will do that to you—and though neither of them would ever be an eight-hours-a-night kind of guy, the improvement in both quality and quantity of sleep was greatly appreciated by all parties involved. 

The problem, though, was that Alex’s leaps and bounds improvements in the sleeping department were apparently tied directly to Henry, which meant that when Henry was away on Official Royal Family Business of the Utmost Importance (Henry had asked Alex very politely on several occasions to please stop calling it this, but Alex wholeheartedly refused) and Alex was alone in bed without one of Henry’s arms slung across him or his face nestled against Henry’s neck, and he was listening to silence instead of Henry’s adorable, snuffling sleep sounds, he usually found himself very awake long past the deepest parts of night and into the early hours of the morning.

Up until the bumbling burglar had made his grand entrance, tonight had been an anomaly in terms of Alex sleeping at an hour most would deem normal—expected, even—to be sleeping. He chalked it up mostly to the four nights of little to no sleep preceding this one and the very stern way that Henry had told him over the phone that he was under no circumstances to have the bedroom light on after 11:30pm and that he was to leave his laptop downstairs—where is was now likely getting burgled—and put his phone away when he turned the light off. If it had been anybody else, Alex would have rolled his eyes at the instructions and pointedly ignored them, but because it was Henry, he’d listened. He knew Henry would be asking him in the morning if he’d been good and obedient, and if there were two things Alex wasn’t able to stomach, they were lying to Henry and disappointing him. 

So he’d left his laptop on top of the desk nestled into the corner of their living room, and at 11:30, he’d turned off the light and set his phone to Do Not Disturb and then somehow he’d miraculously fallen asleep within only a few minutes and had remained asleep. 

Until now. 

Even in his slightly sleep-addled state, Alex logically knew that it couldn’t be a burglar. As it turns out, when the First Son and His Royal Highness, Prince Henry of Wales resided in the same abode, security was intense, to put it lightly. When Henry and Alex had decided to move in together, Zahra had coordinated an endless number of meetings between their respective security teams, covering everything from proper house key management to what to do in the event of an attempted kidnapping to whose ass would be on the line should a reporter, stalker, or ne’er-do-well of any sort managed to get access, physical or photographic, to the house. During the second of such meetings, Alex had kindly suggested that Zahra could learn a thing or two about PowerPoint slide naming conventions from the president, and as a result, he’d been summarily kicked out, which suited him just fine, as it gave him more time to find dark corners in which to do naughty things to Henry, who they had both agreed was also kicked out of the meeting by association. 

So, like. It really couldn’t be a burglar. Or if it were, it would have to be an elite burglar with the ability to bypass ridiculous security systems and put two separate teams of professional bodyguards out of commision long enough to gain access to the house. If the most likely scenario hadn’t included cold blooded murder, Alex would almost be impressed. 

He could hear burglar feet on the stairs now, light-footed and tentative as though he’d only just now realized that stomping about like a baby elephant might not be appreciated by the occupants of the house. The bedroom door, which Alex had left slightly ajar, was pushed open, and Alex could see that the tall man in the doorway was using a cell phone light to guide his way. 

“Thought you weren’t coming home until tomorrow,” Alex mumbled, voice rough and scratchy from sleep. 

Henry dropped his phone and quite nearly jumped. “What the fuck, Alex? You scared the bloody hell out of me. Why aren’t you asleep? I thought we agreed you were going to bed early tonight.”

Alex rolled onto his side, trying to make out the shape of Henry, who had bent over to retrieve his fallen phone, in the dim light. “I _was_ asleep,” he said. “Until you woke me up with your bumbling downstairs. Seriously, H, what were you even doing down there? Rehearsing a routine for Riverdance?”

__Henry had moved to the dresser and was slipping into pajamas, but he took the time to give Alex what he assumed was a dry, withering sort of look. It was too dark to make out his facial expressions, but Alex knew Henry well enough to expect that kind of reaction. He bet that his eyebrow was arched in that adorable way that made Alex want to lavish Henry’s brow with kisses._ _

__“I was a bit … disoriented,” Henry said finally. “ It was dark, and I have just gotten off a very long flight that crossed through several time zones, thank you very much.”_ _

__“You can tell me about your Riverdance aspirations, Henry—I won’t laugh. I want to support you in all your passions and creative endeavors.” Alex said this very seriously, and he was reasonably certain that had he been able to look Henry in the eye, he wouldn’t have made it through with a straight face._ _

__Henry tossed his clothes into the hamper and slid the dresser drawer shut. “You’re beginning to make me regret coming home early,” he said humorlessly._ _

__“Impossible,” Alex chided, a wide grin on his face. “You miiiiiiissed me because you looooove me.”_ _

__Henry set his phone on the nightstand and slid into bed next to Alex, tugging him against his chest so that Alex’s cheek rested over Henry’s heart. “I did miss you,” Henry said softly, no hint of teasing in his voice._ _

__“I missed you too, baby.” Alex shifted so that he could press a soft kiss against Henry’s pulse point. “It’s hard to sleep when you’re not here.”_ _

__“It’s always hard for you to sleep.”_ _

__“It’s worse when I’m alone.”_ _

__Henry’s arms tightened around Alex. “I’m sorry,” he whispered into his hair._ _

__“It’s okay,” Alex said earnestly. “It’s worth it to have a couple nights where it’s harder to sleep if it means I get to have you next to me the other nights.”_ _

__“Such a sap.”_ _

__“You love it.”_ _

__“I do,” Henry whispered. “I love you, Alex. So fucking much.”_ _

__“I love you forever, H,” Alex responded, rotating so that he was on top of Henry, the length of their bodies pressed together just the way they both liked it. He kissed Henry then, long and sweet and deep. It wasn’t the type of kiss meant to lead to anything more than a few minutes of lazy, unhurried exploration of mouths and bodies. This was a kiss that said “I missed you” and “I love you” and “Please never make me sleep alone ever again.”_ _

__After several minutes of enjoying Henry’s mouth against his, Alex pulled back and moved to roll off of him, but Henry held him tighter, not allowing him to move._ _

__“Stay here a moment longer,” he said quietly, and Alex stilled, tucking his face against Henry’s neck, peppering it with a few soft kisses._ _

__One of Henry’s arms drifted up from where it had been wrapped tightly around Alex’s torso, and his hand found a new home gently carding through Alex’s hair. It was as though he needed as much contact with Alex as possible to soak him in, to remind him that though they may have to be apart for various family obligations on too regular of a basis, they’d always end up back here—in their home, in their bed, in each other’s arms. This was forever. Alex was forever, their relationship was forever, and they had the rest of their lives to share moments like this over and over again._ _

__Henry’s grip eventually loosened, and Alex slid back to the bed, his whole body still pressed against Henry’s side, their arms still wrapped around each other and legs still tangled together. He made himself comfortable once more with his cheek pressed against Henry’s chest and found himself growing sleepy again listening to the steady beat of Henry’s heart. He tipped his head up, silently asking for one more kiss, and Henry immediately acquiesced, giving Alex an impossibly soft and sweet kiss._ _

__Alex sighed happily, burrowing further into Henry, one of his hands gripping Henry’s t-shirt as though to ensure he couldn’t get away. Henry trailed gentle fingers along the length of Alex’s arm as Alex’s breathing began to slow._ _

__“G’night, baby,” Alex mumbled into Henry’s chest. “Love you. Glad you weren’t a burglar.”_ _

__Henry didn’t quite know what to make of the burglar comment, but decided to leave that discussion for the morning. He pressed a kiss to Alex’s head. “Love you too. Get some sleep now.”_ _

__Henry didn’t think the chances of him falling asleep any time soon were particularly high, but just like every other night he spent wrapped in and around Alex, he found he didn’t mind laying awake in the dark waiting for sleep to find him. He closed his eyes, smiling fondly as Alex let out a sleepy little sigh, and focused on the absolute wonder of having Alex’s warm body pressed up against him as he waited patiently to drop off to sleep._ _


End file.
